Telenet’s Sickinghe to step down

Belgian triple play operator Telenet has announced that its chief executive Duco Sickinghe is to leave the company, and will be replaced by the former head of Australian pay-TV firm Austar United Communications.

Sickinghe will step down from its executive duties on March 31st and as a director at the occasion of the annual shareholders meeting on April 24th.

He will be replaced by John Porter, a 55-year-old with dual Australian and US citizenship. Porter was chief executive of Austar until it was taken over by Foxtel last year.

Telenet is itself in the throes of a takeover battle with Liberty Global.